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UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

SAMUEL HU SE, OF NEI/V YORK, N. Y.

SHIPS CAPSTAN.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 17,969, dated August 11, 1857.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, SAMUEL HUsE, of the city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Capstans, producing what may be designated as a Power-Capstan; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and eXact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my improvement or invention consists in so constructing a capstan, that it can be vmade to have a rapid or quick action, in cases where but little power is required, or but little resistance is to be overcome,-or a slower and more powerful action, when great power is required or great resistance is to be overcome by simply raising or lowering a couple or series of straight levers or bars, which can be done instantly, and without stopping the action of the capstan, or changing the motion of any part of it, the capstan also beingcapable of working equally well, whichever way it is turned, turning either way as desired.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the capstan; Fig. Q is a sectional view, vertically through the middle; Fig. 3 is a view of the underside of the drum or head; Fig. 4 is a view of the bottom of the barrel; Fig. 5 is a view of the bottom of the capstan, the barrel removed, showing the mechanism; Fig. 6 is a view of the movable plate and its cog wheel, at the bottom of the capstan, and Fig. 7 is a sectional view of Fig. 6 showing the manner of fastening the cog wheel.

The capstan consists of a drum head a, and barrel B, separate from each other, and moving irrespective of each other. Through the center passes a shaft or standard C, firmly fastened to the foundation O, and about which the capstan revolves. Around the standard C, is a hollow metallic shaft, or cylinder D, working or turning in another hollow shaft, placed in the center of the barrel B and having firmly attached to its lower end a cog wheel E, and fastened itself to the drumhead A, so that the cylinder D and its wheel E move or turn with A. Atthe bottom of the barrel B, and within a recess provided for it, I place a movable plate G, to the under side of which is attached a cogwheel H, which meshes into the cogwheel E fastened to cylinder D, and also in the cogs I, which are upon the foundation O, as shown in Fig. 5. The object and action of this plate and its cogwheel will be explained hereafter.

Through the barrel B of the capstan, I pass two or more straight bars or levers L, L, which can be raised or lowered by the crank or handle M, or any convenient mechanical arrangement, on the outside of the capstan. These bars are of such a length, that when raised, they will enter the drumhead A, in cavities designed for that purpose and shown in Fig. 3, and will be clear of the plate G, and when lowered they will be clear of the drumhead A, and pass into or through the plate G, in cavities shown in Fig. 6. In Fig. 2, these bars are shown, as being lowered. When these bars are raised, they connect the head and barrel of the capstan, so that they turn together and as one piece: when however they are lowered they connect the barrel with the plate Gr, and then these move together. When these bars are raised the action of the capstan will be follows, c'. the barrel and drumhead will move together, and of course as rapid a motion may be given to the barrel as can be given to the drumhead A, and the plate G, being free to move turns as rapidly as D, and E. This gives a quick action to the barrel B, such as is required when but little power is required, or little resistance to be overcome. If however we turn the handle M, and lower these bars, the whole action of the capstan is at once changed. The drumhead A, turns independently of the barrel B, carrying with it however the cylinder D and cogwheel E. This cogwheel E, meshing into the cogwheel H, on the under side of G, moves the plate G, andwith it the barrel B, these two, the plate G and barrel B being connected together, or made as one, by the bars L, L,'dropping through Gr,-and the wheel H, in turn meshes into I. A much slower motion is thus given B, than is imparted to A, and by the cogwheels E, and H, and I, power is greatly increased, in the proportion of the radius of E, and of I,-an arrangement very desirable when great resistance is to be overcome. As this change from quick to slower motion, and from less to greater power is effected by means of cogwheels, as above described, which are thrown into or out of action, by the raising or lowering of the bars L, L, it is plain that the capstan will work or turn either way, as may be desired or convenient, and will work in one direction as well as the other.

By varying the size of the cog wheel gearing, the motion of the barrel B, may be increased or diminished, or the power used at better advantage.

Fig. 8, shows a method of varying the gearing so as to much increase the power, while the velocity of the barrel remains the same. The cog wheel H, is a double wheel, the lower one H, being much smaller than H. H', meshes into I, which has consequently to be brought somewhat nearer the center-cr in other words the radius of I, is somewhat shortenedas will be seen by Fig. 9. The power however is much increased. Fig. 7 shows the connection of the single wheel H, with Gr; and Fig. 10, shows the connection of the double wheel with the same plate.

As will be apparent the method of arrangement of the cogwheels may be varied,

and the general character and feature of the capstan remain unchanged.

By any arrangement and principle of construction therefore, I produced a capstan, which can be worked rapidly and with less power, or more slowly, and with greatly in creased power, according to circumstances, by simply raising or dropping two or more clutch bars, which can be done instantaneously, without any interference with the continued action of the capstan, and without any change in the manner or direction of the working of any of its parts, and

which can be worked or turned either way, as desired.

rIhe great convenience and use of a capstan with variable velocity and power, and which can be worked in either direction need not be specified.

l am aware that capstans have been arranged to give a more rapid motion or one with increased power, by connecting or disconnecting the drum and barrel and at the same time throwing into play or out of play internal gearing, or by changing the direction of motion of the drum and barrel, and therefore do not claim generally the construction of a capstan to accomplish these ends. But

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. The arrangement and use of the hollow shaft D, attached at one end to the drum or head, and in combination therewith the movable gear plate Gr, constructed substantially as described and worked by a pinion on the lower end of D.

2. I claim also in combination with such hollow shaft and movable gear plate the arrangement of the clutch levers, or an equivalent thereof, for the purpose of connecting such movable gear plate to the barrel and Iat the same time disconnecting the head and barrel, or vice versa, thus changing the action of the capstan to a quicker, or more powerful one, in a moment and without changing its motion, or displacing any gear.

SAML. HUSE. Vitnesses S'AML. HUsE, J r., S. D. LAW. 

